Sports Talk

College football is filled with awards, the Lou Groza (best kicker), the Jim Thorpe (Best defensive back), the Fred Biletnikoff (best wide receiver), and 27 others totaling 30 awards given out each season. But, of all of these awards one stands above them all: the Heisman. The Heisman trophy is more than just an award, it’s a statement which enters a player into an elite brotherhood and adds an eternal bargaining chip to their resumé as they continue their journey towards professional football. Not unlike the NFL’s MVP the Heisman is often a quarterback award, but the college game offers more opportunity for non-quarterbacks to make an impact and take over a season. In a year of college football where the unimaginable has become the regular the race for the Heisman has narrowed to two non-quarterbacks who have taken the sport by storm: Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. So, let’s take a look at the case for both of these players and analyze who deserves to walk away with the Heisman trophy.

Travis Hunter has always been THE guy, and when you are the guy, the media is sure to take interest. As a five-star player and the #1 recruit in the class of 2021 Hunter’s commitment to Florida State was sure to secure a historic powerhouse the face of their university as they entered the next chapter of their program. Unfortunately for the Seminoles, one of their most famous Alumni who knew a thing or two about being “The Guy”, Deion Sanders entered the picture. Deion had recently become the head coach of FCS Jackson State University, and with the promise of learning from one of the best defensive backs to ever play, Hunter flipped his commitment. Deion also offered Hunter something which was never assured elsewhere, a guarantee that he would be a key player on both sides of the ball. When Coach Prime eventually left Jackson State for Colorado Hunter traveled with and continued to perform through a season in which the Buffaloes struggled as they rebuilt a beleaguered team. But, now as analysts project Hunter to be the best Wide Receiver and Defensive Back in the class, his Heisman odds have dropped to -900 making him the clear favorite for the award.

For Ashton Jeanty the path to greatness wasn’t always a straight line. As a three-star recruit, Jeanty only received 2 offers from power 4 conference programs in Cal-Berkley and Kansas. Instead of being buried on a depth chart in a political sphere of college football where you need to appease high-level recruits or risk them transferring away, Jeanty instead opted to go to a college known for airing the ball out and blue turf: Boise State. Statistical standouts in group of five conferences are normally somewhat ignored by college football analysts, remarking on their novelty, but never truly considering them as legitimate. Although usually these anomalous seasons come through the air as teams solely commit to the pass against the weaker defenses of the group of 5 conferences, however Jeanty’s season this year is different. Ashton Jeanty is having a statistical stand out season on the ground, and while some of the teams in his conference have lacked the talent of a power 4 school, he has continued to dominate no matter how many players defensive coordinators set to attack the run. Having already eclipsed the 2000 rushing yard mark on the season, Jeanty’s only comparison are the historically incomparable seasons like those of Barry Sanders, Reggie Bush, and Ricky Williams. When you enter that category of statistical comparison, you also have to consider another commonality between these players: a Heisman trophy. 

With both of these players coming from two very different paths the question remains, who do you give the Heisman? The media seems keen to hand it to Travis Hunter right now, and with the oddsmakers favoring him so heavily it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which he doesn’t win the award, but should he? Hunter’s allure is centered in the fact that he’s a two-way star, he plays almost every snap on both sides of the ball and has excelled at it, he’s the Shohei Ohtani of college football. But, if the argument for his Heisman lies in Hunter being a two-way star shouldn’t we expect him to be the best at both positions. Different analysts and gurus would tell you he is, and Travis is a semi-finalist for both the Jim Thorpe and Fred Biletnikoff awards, however, it’s unlikely he’ll receive both and may not receive either. As a receiver Hunter is 7^th in total yards, and 5^th in total receptions with averages which fall behind the current award favorites Tetaroia McMillan, Tai Felton, and Nick Nash. While it’s easier to statistically evaluate wide receivers, it can be harder to do so to a true lock down defender. Hunter is tied for 36^th in interceptions, tied for 17^th in passes defended, and has 30 total tackles on the season. Despite these stats, it’s hard to judge him when many teams approach their matchups with a gameplan revolving around not throwing the ball at #12, and with the increasing number of eyes on Hunter’s game he very likely could win the award at his more natural position. 

For those of us who have watched Colorado play this year, it is undoubtable that Travis Hunter is the best player not named Shadeur Sanders on the field. He is a playmaker and a legitimate contender for this award, but has he truly earned it or are we just attracted to the novelty of a player that is on the field for 80 snaps a game. With so much playing time, Travis has a major impact on the games in which he plays, but the difference is that while Colorado wins with Travis Hunter, Boise State wins because of Ashton Jeanty. 

While Jeanty only plays on one side of the ball, he currently leads all rushers in college football with 2,062 rushing yards, 570 yards more than second place. While Jeanty does lead college football in rushing attempts, his 7.5 average yards per attempt is more than any other rusher in the top 20. Furthermore, Jeanty’s 27 rushing touchdowns lead all of college football and outrank all but 6 quarterbacks total passing touchdowns. Jeanty also leads college football in yards after contact and even averages nearly 8 yards per attempt when coordinators place 8 men in the box to stop the run. While the knock on Jeanty has been his opponents’ level of play, in Boise State’s sole loss on a last second field goal to #1 Oregon, Jeanty scored 3 touchdowns while racking up 192 yards on the ground and 3 rushing touchdowns. Between his statistical dominance and his team’s performance Jeanty is as sure of a bet as possible for the Doak Walker award (best running back). With a stiff stance which has been likened to Michael Myers, Jeanty has delivered blow after blow to every opponent he’s faced and led his team to playoff contention. 

So, who should the committee pick? Jeanty has undoubtedly had an easier path avoiding a power 4 schedule, and Hunter may not be the best player at either of his positions, but one of them must win the award. At the end of the day, it may all come down to the one thing Hunter has which Jeanty doesn’t: exposure. Hunter is currently a media darling, he plays for Deion Sanders, he runs his own podcast and livestreams, and he makes guest appearances on nationally syndicated pregame shows. The casual football fan may not know about the terror Jeanty strikes into his opponents on the “Smurf Turf” but they certainly know about the two-way star in Boulder. Regardless of who wins, however, to have a year of college football where the argument is between two non-quarterbacks is truly special and only further demonstrates how amazing this year of college football has been. Both of these players are extremely deserving of this award, and both will go on to make an impact at the next level, but just because the odds makers favor Travis doesn’t mean Jeanty’s path is closed, Vegas doesn’t have a spot on the committee, and as we’ve seen all season; anything is possible in college football.